What Do You Do as a Golf Caddy?

A great golf caddie does much more than just haul your clubs, they are your on-course architect, confidant, and strategic partner. They handle nearly every aspect of the game except for the physical swing itself, allowing you to focus on one thing: hitting your best shot. This guide breaks down exactly what a caddie does, from the obvious duties to the subtle skills that can shave strokes off your score.

The Caddie's Core Responsibilities: Beyond Carrying the Bag

While handling the bag is the most visible part of the job, it’s just the beginning. The primary role of a caddie is to make your day on the golf course as smooth and successful as possible. This involves a range of technical tasks and course management expertise.

Handling The Equipment: The Foundations

The "show up, keep up, and shut up" mantra is an old-school oversimplification. A good caddie is proactive, not just reactive. They anticipate your needs so you never have to ask.

• Organize and Carry the Bag: They manage your clubs, towels, rangefinder, and personal items. A pro caddie walks ahead or alongside you, never behind, so they are ready with the bag when you reach your ball.
• Keep Clubs and Ball Clean: This isn't just about appearances. A clean clubface is essential for proper spin and distance control. After every single shot, a caddie will wipe down an iron face to remove any dirt or grass. They'll also wash your ball on the tee box and on the green to ensure a true roll.
• Manage the Accessories: They’ll hold onto your headcovers, hand you your putter cover once you're on the green, and keep things tidy so all you see is your ball and your target.

The Strategist: Course Management and Shot Selection

This is where a caddie truly earns their worth. They combine objective data with deep know-how to help you make smarter decisions on the course. They act as your second set of eyes and a calm, objective brain when pressure is high.

1. Providing Accurate Yardages

A caddie’s number one job is knowing the distance for every shot. You'll hear tour pros and their caddies discussing numbers constantly. This is a multi-step process:

• Laser the Pin: They’ll use a laser rangefinder to get the exact distance to the flagstick. For example, "158 yards to the pin."
• Check Covers: They’ll also find the distances to the front edge and back edge of the green. "We have 151 to carry the front, and it's 165 to the back." This gives you a landing zone.
• Factor in Conditions: This is the expert layer. A good caddie then analyzes other variables.
  • Wind: "It’s a steady one-club hurt, right into our face."
  • Elevation: "We're playing about 10 feet downhill, so it's going to play a little shorter."
  • Air Temperature: "It's cool out, so the ball won't fly quite as far."
• The Recommendation: After processing all this information, they come up with the "plays like" distance. "Okay, so we have 158, but with the wind, it’s playing more like 168 yards. That should be a perfect 6-iron for you."

2. Recommending Club and Shot Shape

Once the distance is set, the discussion shifts to strategy. Simply aiming at the flag isn't always the best play. A caddie helps you see the bigger picture.

Imagine a par-3 with the pin tucked behind a deep bunker on the right side of the green. Your caddie might say:

"The yardage is perfect for your 8-iron, but the trouble is all right. The flag is a sucker pin. A smart miss here is anywhere left of the flag. Let's aim at the center of the green, take the bunker completely out of play, and give yourself a good look at birdie. Don't even look at the flag. Your target is that fat part of the green."

This simple bit of advice can be the difference between a safe par and a disastrous double bogey. They help you play to the safest location and manage your misses.

Reading Greens: The Art of the Putting Line

Reading a green is a complex skill, and a caddie provides an invaluable second opinion. They are trained to see subtle slopes and breaks that amateurs often miss.

Their Process for Reading a Putt:

1. Analyze From Behind the Ball: They crouch down to see the primary break of the putt from your perspective.
2. Check From Behind the Hole: They walk to the low side of the hole to see the break as the ball slows down near the cup. This is often where putts break the most.
3. Feel the Slope: They feel the elevation change with their feet. Is it uphill, downhill, or a sidehill lie?
4. Check the Grain: They’ll look at how the grass is growing. Shiny grass means the grain is growing away from you (down-grain, and a faster putt). Dull grass means it's growing towards you (into the grain, a slower putt).

After this analysis, they'll give you a clear, simple read. Instead of a vague "it breaks right," they'll offer something specific like, "This is just outside the right edge. Hit it firm, it's a little uphill." This frees you up to just focus on making a good stroke.

Course Care and Etiquette

Finally, a caddie performs the duties a good golfer should always do for themselves, ensuring the course is left in excellent condition and the pace of play is maintained.

• Raking Bunkers: After you play a bunker shot, they’ll rake it smoothly, leaving no trace that you were ever there.
• Tending the Flagstick: On the green, they will hold the flagstick while you putt. As soon as you strike the ball, they'll pull the pin out of the hole. They are also responsible for putting the flag back in the hole after everyone has finished.
• Repairing Ball Marks: They will fix the ball mark your ball made when it landed on the green, and often a few others nearby.
• Tracking Pace of Play: A good caddie keeps an eye on the clock and the group in front. They help you maintain a good rhythm, subtly encouraging prompt play without making you feel rushed.

The Intangibles: Your Mental Game Coach

Beyond all the physical tasks, the greatest caddies excel at the mental side of the game. Golf is a challenging sport, and having a steady presence by your side can be a huge advantage.

A Source of Calm and Confidence

A Caddie learns a player’s personality. Some players need constant chatter and encouragement. Others prefer silence. A great caddie reads the room.

After a bad tee shot, they won't dwell on it. They'll hand you the next club with a quiet, confident nod, or offer a simple "Let's get this next one." Their job is to keep you grounded in the present moment and focused on the only shot that matters: the one you’re about to hit. They act as a buffer against frustration, absorbing bad bounces and preventing one bad shot from turning into three.

The Go-Between

The caddie also serves as your liaison with the course and your playing partners. They can confirm whose turn it is to putt, look for lost balls, and handle any interactions with the course marshal. By managing these small details, they remove all potential distractions, allowing you a pure golfing experience.

Final Thoughts

In short, a caddie is your on-course project manager. They handle equipment, strategy, green reading, and course maintenance, all while providing steady encouragement, freeing your mind to simply focus on swinging the club and enjoying your round.

While hiring a professional caddie for every round isn't feasible for most of us, getting that same level of expert strategy and on-course support is now possible. We built Caddie AI to act as your personal Digital Caddie, giving you that trusted second opinion right in your pocket. You can get a smart play for a tough hole, a club recommendation based on the conditions, and even take a picture of a difficult lie to get instant advice on how to handle it, so you can play every shot with confidence.